More like Him

I want to say that going away to seminary is all an incredible blessing, full of excitement and adventure... but we are so sad. My kids cry every night talking about the friends and family they'll miss, the church and school they'll miss and the way that once everything changes it can never again be the way it is today. And the way it is today is awesome, fantastic, better than we ever expected, hoped or dreamed it could be. We have so many wonderful friends, brothers and sisters, really, who've been with us through tough times and good times and all the in-betweens. We've been with each other as our children have been born and family has passed... at Easters and Christmases and weddings and funerals. We have worshipped, laughed, loved, griped, cried and complained together. We've weathered storms and watched others get blown out to sea. We've seen failings and flailings and prodigal returns and casseroles and fried chicken. St. Andrew's has been our heavenly sanctuary for almost a decade and next Wednesday that changes.

I've been telling my kids that it is ok to cry, it's part of loving. Don't be afraid to feel your feelings, God wants you to, it really is ok. Remember, when confronted with profound loss, Jesus wept. Forgetting all His glory, holiness, and perfection, I often find myself lost in Christ as man, a man who suffered. The God that suffered is the one that makes sense to me.